By IANS
Goverdhan (Uttar Pradesh) : An annual Hindu fair, said to be one of the biggest in north India with over 10 million pilgrims expected, began Wednesday at Goverdhan in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district.
The weeklong Mudiya Poonau fair started with thousands of people joining the 21-km-long route around the Goverdhan hill, which, according to Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna had lifted with his little finger to protect people from torrential rains.
Thousands of policemen with over 50 magistrates from neighbouring districts have been deployed in Mathura to oversee arrangements at the Goverdhan fair, said District Magistrate Anita C Meshram. The fair will peak on full moon day – July 29/30.
Luckily, after a prolonged spell of hot and sultry weather, continuous drizzle on Tuesday and Wednesday brought cheer to the devotees. S.R. Meena, divisional commissioner of Agra, had visited the site of the fair Monday to check the security and other arrangements.
Wednesday onwards, Mathura, Vrindavan and other holy places associated with Lord Krishna will see hundreds of thousands of pilgrims converging until Janmashtami – the festival that celebrates Krishna's birth.
"The biggest problem of this area is dirt and heaps of garbage," said Jugal, a priest of the Radhakund temple in the area.
"The route around Goverdhan should have been spruced up and thoroughly cleaned much in advance of the fair. Even the Manasi Ganga, the main water tank where a pilgrim must take a holy dip, has not been cleaned up. The water is dirty and stinking," he added.
Administrative officials are hoping the weeklong fair passes off peacefully and without any hassle.
"Managing such a big and frenzied crowd poses a whole lot of problems. Everyone is in a hurry. Many seem to believe that if the parikrama (round of the hill) is not performed in the stipulated time they will be denied entry to heaven," an official said.
Temples in the Goverdhan area – the Dan-Ghati, Mukharvind, Jatipura and Radhakund – have been brightly lit and loudspeakers blare devotional music.
Mudiya Poonau celebrations were started by Sanatan Goswami – a disciple of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu – who has a high position in the Gaudiya Sampradaya, a sect owing allegiance to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.